The larva is very small (less than ¼ inch) and lives in a case, usually flat, made of silk or sand or filamentous algae; the tops of all three thoracic segments are covered by sclerites; there are no gills on the ventral side of the abdomen; usually the anal prolegs are mostly fused with the end of the abdomen except their apical hooks.

Characteristics

POLLUTION TOLERANCE

0 = least tolerant, 10 = most tolerant

FEEDING HABITS

Collector / Gatherer
Piercer / Herbivore
Scraper / Grazer

MOVEMENT

Climber
Clinger

Diagnostic Characters

Order

Prolegs With Single Hook

Family

Mesonotum sclerotized

Pronotum Sclerotized

Short Overall Length

​Flattened Case

​Metanotum Sclerotized

​No Ventral Abdominal Gills

​Tiny Anal Claws

+ Expanded Character List

Order:Larvae: Wings/wing pads absent. Eye spots present, but compound eyes absent. Antennae usually small, inconspicuous. Three pairs of segmented legs present on thorax. Pair of anal prolegs, each with single hook, located on last abdominal segment. Larvae can be free-living, in silken retreats attached to substrate, or in usually-portable tubes or cases made of sand, rocks, or plant material.

Family:
The larva is very small (less than ¼ inch) and lives in a case, usually flat, made of silk or sand or filamentous algae; the tops of all three thoracic segments are covered by sclerites; there are no gills on the ventral side of the abdomen; usually the anal prolegs are mostly fused with the end of the abdomen except their apical hooks.

Media

iNaturalist is an online social network and crowdsourced species identification platform